Polish FM: Przemyśl march was not anti-Ukrainian

Poland frowns at Kyiv's entry ban on Przemyśl mayor.

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Photo: Photo: static.prsa.pl

There was no anti-Ukrainian nationalist slogans at the "March of eaglets" in the Polish city of Przemyśl in late December, RBC-Ukraine quoted Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski as stating on 19 January at the so-called Ukrainian Breakfast in Davos.

The minister said he did not recall any manifestations of anti-Ukrainian sentiments during the march and expressed dissatisfaction with Ukraine's denying entry to the mayor of Przemyśl, Robert Choma, in connection with an incident during the march.

"It was certainly not a reason to stop the mayor at the border. We are waiting for answers on why the Mayor of Przemyśl was stopped at the border and why he was denied entry to Ukraine. We absolutely do not understand it. It came as a big shock to us, why the mayor of the city, located so close to the Ukrainian-Polish border had to face such an unfriendly reception. We ask [the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine] to explain this situation. Over the last 25 years this has never happened, and any Ukrainian politician was not stopped at Polish border," the head of Polish diplomacy said.

Waszczykowski rejected, however, the allegations of deterioration of relations between Ukraine and Poland.

"Just a month ago, Poroshenko visited Poland, we talked in the presence of several ministers, including first deputy prime minister and the minister of defence. This dialogue was at a very high level. Poles are on the side of Ukraine," Waszczykowski stressed.

Earlier, the Polish Embassy in Ukraine sent a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting explanations as to the circumstances of the prohibition on entry to the Mayor of Przemyśl Robert Choma.

The participants of the March of Przemyśl and Lviv Eagles have reportedly chanted the anti-Ukrainian slogans such as "Death to Ukrainians!" The march is an annual event held by Polish patriotic and nationalist organizations, and attended by members of local and state authorities in Poland's Przemyśl on 10 January.

The city mayor Robert Choma, who was one of the promoters of the rally and attended the event has later on denied hearing such slogans.

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